Former Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski has been appointed executive chairman of the new NBN Co board.Source: AAP

HE was dumped by Telstra and spent just one chaotic year at Optus.

Say hello again to Ziggy Switkowski, the man the coalition has put at the helm of Australia's largest infrastructure project, the National Broadband Network (NBN).

The nuclear physicist was formally appointed as executive chairman of the new NBN Co board on Thursday by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

During Dr Switkowski's five-year tenure as chief executive of Telstra, the share price slumped 42 per cent to about $5.

In 2004 he walked away with a $2.1 million payout two years before the end of his contract, leaving mum and dad investors seething.

However Mr Turnbull on Thursday played down concerns about Dr Switkowski's track record in the telecommunications industry, which he hasn't worked in for nine years.

"What was the share price of Telstra when Dr Switkowski left compared to when (his successor Sol) Trujillo left? ($3.68)" Mr Turnbull rebutted to a journalist.

"I don't really want to get into a debate about the share price of Telstra."

Dr Switkowski, who replaces outgoing chairwoman Siobhan McKenna, will be executive chairman until a chief executive officer is appointed.

He will be joined by current NBN Co board members Kerry Schott and Alison Lansley, the only survivors of the former NBN Co board, all of whom tendered their resignations after the coalition won the election.

Mr Turnbull said a strategic review was under way to see exactly what was happening with the NBN project.

"In a nutshell ... what the status of the project is at the moment; how much it is going to cost; and how long it will take to complete it on the current plan or the Labor government's plan of a 93 per cent fibre to the premise model," he said.

It will also look at what time and cost savings can be made, including if there should be an increased use of fibre-to-the-node.

Labor's communications spokesman Anthony Albanese questioned the decision to install Dr Switkowski after his controversial tenure at Optus and Telstra.

"He was not in charge of any major new network construction activity in either role," he said, adding that a three-person board was not sufficient to provide good governance.

Australian Industry Group Chief Executive Innes Willox said that during the period of the reviews to the current model it was vital to limit further delays to the NBN rollout.

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